Battle of the Mermaids on Primetime TV: "Kambal Sirena" vs. "Dyesebel"
March 17, 2014 Philippine primetime television will see the "Battle of the Mermaids" starting tonight as the leading networks, GMA Network and ABS-CBN, offer programs that feature the mythical creature: Kambal Sirena and Dyesebel. Sequestered TV network IBC-13 will also joins the fantaserye race, topped the ratings with the very first fantasy series Janella in Wonderland which is premiered last January 6, by the time to get the battle of mermaids starting tonight, March 17. Both programs can be seen from Monday to Friday. The sirena or mermaid is a staple of Philippine folklore and popular culture. Similar with other cultures, the sirena is commonly portrayed as a beautiful woman with the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. Aside from having long and flowing hair, the breasts of the sirena are typically covered by a pair of large seashells. Image Credit: IBC.com.ph After the success of producing a drama series, IBC-13 offering a fantasy drama fare for its first venture. Joining the fantaserye race, the country's number 3 network will introduce the first kind of fantaserye top-billed by the rising teen star Janella Salvador, dubbed as the Primetime Princess of IBC in Janella in Wonderland starting last January 6. This fantasy series is developed by the business unit head Ginny Monteagudo-Ocampo. Salvador played the title role as Janella, a girl who can will transform into a mermaid tale. An ensemble cast led by the leading man Marlo Mortel, Andrei Felix and Kat Alano as the queen of the mermaid Calissa. Janella in Wonderland is the network's answer to GMA’s Kambal Sirena and ABS-CBN’s Dyesebel. Now, let’s see who the audience will favor in this three-way fight for ratings leadership. Going head to head with the two giants—ABS-CBN and GMA-7—in terms of primetime viewing during weekdays, IBC-13 also winning weekends in the primetime ratings are PBA, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, The Million Second Quiz and Born to be a Superstar which dominated the ratings game could give their rivals a good fight. From 6 p.m. to 12 midnight from Monday to Friday, we’re making our weeknight horizontal programming battle in the ratings game [Express Balita, Janella in Wonderland and Maghihintay Sa'yo]. Image Credit: GMA Network GMA Network seems to have gained a headway by commencing the broadcast of its Kambal Sirena exactly a week ago. Kambal Sirena features Louise delos Reyes in a dual title role. Support is provided by Aljur Abrenica, Mike Tan and Angelika dela Cruz. Kambal Sirena is about twins named Alona and Perlas. One of them is born with gills behind her ears and the other with a mermaid's tail. (Note: Alona is presumably derived from alon, Tagalog word for "wave"; perlas is Tagalog for "pearls). Twins' mother moved along with them to an isolated island due to worries that neighbors might be surprised by their strange features. Circumstances eventually led the twins to live separately. Image Credit: ABS-CBN.com On the other hand, ABS-CBN is going to present Dyesebel starting March 17. This fantasy drama series is based on a graphic novel by Mars Ravelo, whose other works have been licensed to the network. Anne Curtis will play the title role. An ensemble cast led by Gerald Anderson and Sam Milby. The story of Dyesebel is about a young mermaid that discovers the world above the ocean and gets involved in a love triangle. It has a long history in film and television starting with a 1953 movie having Edna Luna role. Vilma Santos, Alma Moreno, Alice Dixson, and Charlene Gonzalez followed suit in playing the role of the well-known mermaid in movies in 1973, 1978, 1990 and 1996. Interestingly, Marian Rivera played the character in the 2008 TV series of the same name on GMA Network. Anne Curtis played the role of the eponymous goddess who can transform into a mermaid, a harpy or a centaur in the 2008 ABS-CBN series Dyosa. POSTSCRIPT: Other notable Philippine TV programs about mermaids include ABS-CBN's Marina starring Claudine Barretto in 2004. GMA Network matched it in the same year with Marinara starring the comedienne Rufa Mae Quinto. In 2011, ABS-CBN aired Mutya which launched child actress Mutya Orquia in the title role. The sirena is also commonly associated with gays in Philippine popular culture. In the light of Filipinos' love for spoofs and spin-offs, an enterprising producer can adapt Kambal Sirena into the series or the movie titled Kambal Siyoke. (Siyoke is a slang term for a homosexual man.). It is off-topic but now that spoofs have been raised in the discussion, why not remake the U.S. TV series Breaking Bad into either Breaking Bading or Beking Bad (Bading and beki are other common slang terms for a homosexual man). 'Monday Primetime Sked (March 17)' :6:00PM - The Two Sides of Ana (Dalawang Mukha ni Ana) (TreseBella) :6:30PM - Express Balita :7:45PM - Janella in Wonderland :8:30PM - Maghihintay Sa'yo :9:15PM - Only Me and You :9:45PM - Viva Box Office: Bagets :11:30PM - News Team 13